Pearls of wisdom from the gems we lost this year
I used to believe you had to be something special to have a hit record ... We were just kids from Liverpool.'
Gerry Marsden, 78, frontman of Gerry & The Pacemakers, who had their first, and last, No. 1 hit before a certain other up-and-coming Liverpool pop band; Jan. 3
The scenes I refused to do were when they suddenly would say to me, Oh, you take your clothes off here'. The answer to that was always no."
Barbara Shelley, 88, best known for roles in Hammer Horror films in the '50s and '60s, including Village of the Damned." COVID-19; Jan. 4
L.A. drives you crazy. I'm used to weather and walking and people who say what they mean."
Tanya Roberts, 65, Bond Girl who also appeared in the sitcom That '70s Show," died Jan. 4, several hours after mistakenly being declared dead by her publicist.
But there was no artificial ice and the seasons were short. You'd go out on the river with all your buddies. I never really had an interest in anything other than hockey."
John Muckler, 86, Former Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup winning head coach; Jan. 4
Cut my veins, and I bleed Dodger blue."
L.A. Dodgers World Series winning manager Tommy Lasorda, 93; heart attack, Jan. 7
I thought that there was something really special there, although we could never have guessed what would happen."
Christopher Little, 79, the agent who launched J.K. Rowling's career; Jan. 7
It's nearly seven years since Seven Up!"' he said. Wouldn't it be a nice idea to go and see how the children are doing now?' I said that I thought it might, so as casually as that I re-embarked on a project that has engaged my entire working life."
British director Michael Apted, 79, who documented the lives of schoolchildren every seven years for 55 years in the Up" series of documentaries; Jan. 7
Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys."
Ed Bruce, 81, country singer-songwriter; Jan. 8
If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."
Dr. Harold Bornstein, 73, U.S. President Donald Trump's former physician; Jan. 8
We asked the kids, and they all agreed. It seemed like a fun thing to do."
Pat Loud, 94, matriarch of the show An American Family," considered to be television's first reality show; Jan. 10
Privacy is a valuable commodity."
Sir David Barclay, 86, one of the two billionaire identical twin brothers who own the British Telegraph newspaper group; Jan. 10
Everything is cyclical. It's like gambling. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down."
Sheldon Adelson, 87; U.S. casino billionaire and Donald Trump's largest donor; Jan. 12
From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy and no Roy without Siegfried."
Siegfried Fischbacher, 81, last member of former Las Vegas tiger act duo; Jan. 13
When you take the stage no matter who you're sharing it with, you've got to promise to die. To detonate. To fly as high as you can and then, like the Fourth of July, explode like a sky full of fireworks."
Sylvain Sylvain, 69, guitarist of the American punk glam rock band New York Dolls; Jan. 13
There is no immorality in prostitution. The immorality is the arrest of women as a class for a service that's demanded of them by society."
Margo St. James, 83, proud prostitute, union organizer for her trade and flamboyant San Francisco character; Jan. 13
I think I killed somebody."
Wall of Sound' music producer legend Phil Spector, 81, as he emerged from his house with a gun in hand. He was later convicted of murdering Lana Clarkson. He died of COVID 2 years shy of parole eligibility; Jan. 16
They carved a piece of my heart away."
Hank Aaron, 86, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record; Jan. 22
I used to say if CNN called with an emergency and my wife called with an emergency, I'd call CNN back first."
Eight-times married CNN interviewer of the famous and infamous, Larry King, 87. He was reportedly in the process of divorcing wife No. 8 when he died; Jan. 23
I think this Mark Twain thing is pretty corny. I don't think it's funny."
Emmy and Tony award-winning actor Hal Holbrook, 95, on first rehearsals for Mark Twain Tonight!'' the one-man stage show he performed for six decades; Jan. 23
I am today ... a very, very happy person."
George Armstrong, 90, who captained the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cups in the '60s and wore the blue and white his entire career, on being immortalized with a statue on Legends Row; Jan. 24
Some Oscar winners have dropped out of sight as if they were standing on a trap door. Others picked it up and ran with it. I'm going to run with it."
The Last Picture Show" Oscar winner and multiple Emmy winner Cloris Leachman, 94, best remembered as the neurotic Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show"; Jan. 26
I had this burning desire to do just one more. One more great role,' I said. I didn't want to be greedy. I just wanted one more."
Cicely Tyson, 96, Oscar-nominated pioneering Black actor on accepting a Tony Award in 2013 at 88 for The Trip To Bountiful" after a 30-year absence from the stage; Jan. 28
In 1989 the bank withdrew my loan and I threw the keys at the bank manager. Since then, I've learnt the retail business ... I don't owe the bank any money now. I took back the keys."
Korry's clothier owner Saul Korman, 86, beloved Greektown entrepreneur known as The Duke of the Danforth;' Jan. 31
The sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away."
Second World War vet Capt. Sir Tom Moore, 100, who inspired Britain by walking to raise $45 million for health care workers at the start of the coronavirus crisis; died Feb. 2 of COVID-19; Feb. 2
It was my honor to know them. They were an inspiration that is needed again today."
Chicago Seven's Rennie Davis, 80, on his co-defendants convicted over the Vietnam protest riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention; Feb. 2
That damn movie follows me around like an albatross."
Oldest Oscar winner (Beginners") Canadian acting giant Christopher Plummer, 91, on his not-so-flattering early opinion of his role as The Sound of Music's" Captain von Trapp - one of the most popular movies of all time; Feb. 5
My dad had gone around and told people I would never be anything. It hurt me ... I made up my mind that ... whatever price I had to pay, I was going to succeed at something."
Leon Spinks, 67, who won Olympic gold and then shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight title in only his eighth pro fight, has died; Feb. 6
I have had an academic career and a business career ... but if I look back on my government career, that is the highlight, because ... you are trying to make a difference."
George P. Shultz, who played a central role in helping to bring the Cold War to an end as U.S. president Ronald Reagan's secretary of state; Feb. 6
My whole life is like a dream. I tell you - if I were not a Supreme, I would want to be a Supreme."
Mary Wilson, 76, founding member of the Supremes whom Motown founder Berry Gordy called the glue" that kept the legendary group alive; Feb. 8
It's all right to be yourself. In fact, the more yourself you are, the more money you make."
Jazz pianist Chick Corea, 79, who worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, in a commencement address; Feb. 9
If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, then it will protect all of you. Because I'm the worst."
Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt Jr., 78, the self-described smut peddler who cares," on his free speech and libel courtroom battles over the years; Feb. 9
It's tough to realize that the days where I do not think I'm under a death sentence are over."
Provocative right-wing radio giant Rush Limbaugh, 69, just four months before his death from lung cancer; Feb. 17
Wild Africa!"
Aleksander Doba, 74, atop Mount Kilimanjaro. Moments after hollering into the wind, the Polish adventurer sat down and died; Feb. 22
It's like I was asleep for 10 years. It's all kind of like a dream."
Canada's hockey dad Walter Gretzky, 82, on the aneurysm he had 30 years ago that tragically wiped the memory of his son Wayne's hockey accomplishments; Parkinson's, March 4
My greatest love is performing. When I am out there, all of my pain and all that goes away, and I am in a world of my own."
Carla Wallenda, 85, last of The Flying Wallendas" who performed on the high-wire act into her 80s; March 6
Four three nine oh-oh oh-oh Pizza Nova!"
Syd Kessler, 76, creator of many memorable Canadian jingles; March 7
I saw Joe Louis at the door at Caesars Palace, just shaking hands, and that left a bad taste in my mouth."
Middleweight legend Marvellous' Marvin Hagler, 66, on the poor financial state many great boxers faced. He left a $40 million estate, March 12
My age is somewhere between newborn and none of your damn business!"
Celebrated drag queen Michelle Ross, whose death marks the end of a more than 45-year career on stages in Toronto's Gay Village and abroad; March 28
There was trouble. Some people got caught. I'll probably be going to jail."
Nixon's Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy, 90, to his wife the night of the failed break-in. He refused to testify and was convicted and jailed just over 4 years; March 30
In the beginning there was light."
Nobel Prize in Physics winner Dr. Isamu Akasaki, 92, inventor of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), begins his acceptance speech for the 2014 award; April 1
I declare this thing open - whatever it is."
Notoriously gaffe prone Prince Philip, 99, the Duke of Edinburgh, on a Royal tour of Canada in 1969. Queen Elizabeth's husband was the longest serving royal consort in British history; April 9
A right is not what someone gives you; it's what no one can take from you."
Ramsey Clark, 93, former U.S. attorney general and defender of the unpopular, including Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic; April 9
I live in a tormented state now, knowing of all the pain and suffering that I have created. I have left a legacy of shame, as some of my victims have pointed out, to my family and my grandchildren."
Bernie Madoff, 82, convicted for running the largest Ponzi scheme in history engineering a fraud estimated as high as $64 billion. He died in prison; April 14
I'm much happier as I've got older. Age has given me nothing but confidence, security and joy. To me, Helen McCrory, 47' means nothing. Helen McCrory, bad housewife and argumentative after a bottle of gin' would be much more relevant."
British actress Helen McCrory, 52, who starred in Harry Potter films and the Peaky Blinders TV series and was wife of Billions" actor Damian Lewis, cancer, April 16
Engineers dream of building something that millions of people will use ... I don't think many engineers are motivated by money. They're motivated by having an impact."
Charles Chuck" Geschke, 81, inventor of the ubiquitous PDF technology and co-founder of Adobe Inc., which has a market value of $245 billion. April 16
I just live right, all I know."
Hester Ford, 115, the oldest known person in the U.S. and possibly on Earth, who survived two pandemics, two world wars and 21 presidents; April 17
Then like a sinner before the gates of Heaven I'll come crawling on back to you ..."
Pop hitmaker Jim Steinman, 73, who wrote and composed Bat out of Hell" for Meat Loaf; April 19
Well, my time has come. I am eager to rejoin Joan and Eleanor. Before I go I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me ... and I know you will keep up the good fight."
Former VP for Jimmy Carter and failed presidential candidate Walter Mondale, 93, in a farewell email to staff the day before he died, referencing his wife and daughter who predeceased him; April 18
S-A-TUR-DAY Night!"
Les McKeown, 65, who achieved global superstardom in the 1970s as lead vocalist of tartan-garbed pop titans the Bay City Rollers; April 20
To be truthful, I didn't like her very much. She was an ugly drunk. She didn't go somewhere nice and quiet and drink herself into oblivion. I always say that every statutory holiday she would try and kill herself. Eventually she succeeded."
Sharon Pollock, 85, titan of Canadian theatre and an eccentric artist, speaks bluntly about her mother; April 22
There's more than one way to pronounce it."
Canada's Word Lady" Katherine Barber, 61, editor-in-chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, rules on the ongoing controversial" pronunciation of lieutenant"; April 24
I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life."
Astronaut Michael Collins, 90, writes of his time circling the dark side of the moon in the command module as crewmates Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon in 1969, April 28
Maybe good fortune comes to you for the same reason as bad ... Some days it's cold, and some days it's hot."
Oscar winning actress Olympia Dukakis, 89, considers the randomness of life; May 1
The public trust in its system of government was subverted and betrayed."
Retired Quebec justice John Gomery, 88, in his report on the Liberal's sponsorship scandal; May 18
One Sunday morning the warm sun came up and -pop!- out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar."
Beloved children's author Eric Carle, 91, author and illustrator whose classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories; May 23
I never considered myself a superhero or how he would sound. But as it turned out over the years, that is what Lee apparently intended."
Toronto actor Paul Soles, 90, who voiced the lead role in Stan Lee's original Spider-Man" animated series and Hermey the elf in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"; May 26
Murray represented all the brown-baggers - not just in newsrooms, but in all sorts of professions."
Gavin MacLeod, 90, veteran supporting actor who achieved stardom as Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show," before going on to even bigger fame as Capt. Stubing on The Love Boat"; May 29
I would strongly recommend any young man to stay away from criminal law. It's not a good place to be."
Celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey, 87, who defended O.J. Simpson, Patricia Hearst and the alleged Boston Strangler, but whose legal career halted when he was disbarred in two states; June 3
You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale. And you will atone!"
Legendary supporting actor Ned Beatty, 83, whose iconic first role in Deliverance" launched a memorable career of character roles, including his Oscar-nominated role in Network"; June 13
It's gonna be Huuuuuuuuuggge!"
Car dealer and philanthropist Billy Fuccillo, 64, whose trademark phrase ended his commercials for years across upstate New York and Florida; June 18
Any idiot can make money. Keeping money - very few can do."
Broke tech titan and cryptocurrency promoter John McAfee, 75, who died of apparent suicide in a Spanish jail cell awaiting extradition to the U.S. on tax evasion charges. The eponymous Cyber Security company he founded was bought by Intel in 2010 for $7.7 billion; June 23
There are known knowns ... There are known unknowns ... There are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.
Two-time U.S. defence secretary and verbal gymnast Donald Rumsfeld, 88, explains the Iraq situation to reporters; June 29
I managed to survive with God's strength and help."
Henry Parham, 99, the last surviving member of an all-Black unit to land at Normandy on D-Day; July 4
They're uneven ... but I was uneven."
Robert Downey Sr., 85, filmmaker and actor father of Robert Downey Jr., on films he produced during his decade-long cocaine years; July 7
We can change Haiti if we work together."
Haitian President Jovenel Moise shot dead by attackers in his private residence overnight in a barbaric act." July 7
My God ... I know that boy."
Journalist Priscilla Johnson McMillan, 92, on seeing Lee Harvey Oswald on television. She was the only person who personally knew both President John F. Kennedy and the man who killed him; July 7
Every time that I look at the cameras another woman leaves her husband for Mr. Wonderful."
Wrestling legend Paul Mr. Wonderful' Orndorff, 71; July 12
I wanted my name on it because I was watching hockey and at the end they say lighting by' and best boy.' I phoned CBC and wrote to somebody (there). They wouldn't give it to me. They saw no reason why."
Dolores Claman, 94, composer of the CBC's iconic Hockey Night in Canada theme, considered by many to be Canada's second national anthem. She eventually got her credit; July 17
The more that the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless."
Nobel winning physicist Steven Weinberg, who won for work unlocking the mysteries of tiny particles and their electromagnetic interaction; July 23
But wait! There's more!"
Inventor and pitchman extraordinaire Ron Popeil, 86, whose infomercials for as-seen-on-TV" hawked products like The Popeil Pocket Fisherman; July 28
Bland works'
William Bill' Davis, 92, explains his electoral success as Ontario's 18th premier of Ontario. Pipe-puffing Brampton Billy' ruled the province from 1971 to 1985, often described as the education premier;" Aug. 8
The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning."
Former minister of defence and ufologist Paul Hellyer who served in various government roles for nearly 40 years; Aug. 8
I wasn't interested in being a pop idol sitting there with girls screaming ... it's silly."
Charlie Watts, 80, drummer who provided the backbone of Rolling Stones' songs for more than half a century; Aug. 24
You have to work at being a buffoon."
Beloved weatherman Willard Scott, 87, who charmed viewers of NBC's Today" show with his self-deprecating humour; Sept. 4
Where's the beef?!"
Cliff Freeman, 80, copywriter and creative director behind many witty TV commercials, most memorably the one for Wendy's; Sept. 5
Hell, everyone knows that an ugly guy with a good line gets the chicks."
Jean-Paul Belmondo, 88, star of the iconic French New Wave film Breathless," whose crooked boxer's nose and rakish grin went on to make him one of the country's most recognizable leading men; Sept. 6
I don't believe in mistakes. I believe I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, and if it was meant to be, I would have been there."
U.S. actor Michael K. Williams, 54, whose Omar Little on The Wire" created one of the more compelling characters in television in recent decades; Sept. 6
I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that if you die, then the cancer also dies at the same time. That to me is not a loss. That's a draw."
Beloved comic's comic and former SNL Weekend Update anchor Norm Macdonald, 61, loses his nine-year battle with cancer; Sept. 14
Something about the word life' electrified me. It is one of a very few things that every single person experiences, so the market, to put it simply, was literally everyone on earth!"
Reuben Klamer, 99, toy industry icon and inventor of classic board game The Game of Life; Sept. 14
It really bothered me when Judy Garland used to say, The studio made me do this, the studio made me do that.' Nobody makes you do anything. You make your own choices."
Jane Powell, 92, star of some of Hollywood's best-loved Golden Age musicals; Sept. 16
People can accuse other people of doing stuff. But when it's on camera, it's different. You just can't argue with it."
George Holliday, 61, the Los Angeles plumber who shot grainy video of four white police officers beating Black motorist Rodney King in 1991; Sept. 19
The Rosa Parks of Black cinema."
Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, 89, whose 1971 film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" ushered in the blaxploitation" wave of the 1970s, describes his impact on Hollywood; Sept. 21
All I know is, we don't do enough to honour our own."
Peter Soumalias, 70, businessman and founder of Canada's Walk of Fame, Oct. 1
We read about animals, sang songs, talked about my ashes nourishing the plants & fungi, cried & cuddled."
Concordia professor Dr. Nadia Chaudhri, 43, who touched hearts sharing the story of her battle with cancer on Twitter; Oct. 5
I did not know until I researched this book how close to death we had come."
Martin J. Sherwin, a leading scholar of atomic weapons who in A World Destroyed" challenged support for the U.S. bombing of Japan and spent two decades researching pioneering physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Prometheus"; Oct. 6
I never got over being awestruck at the fact that I was there and I was a part of this wonderful thing that he was doing."
Animation trailblazer Ruthie Tompson, 110, whose hand helped paint early Mickey Mouse, on becoming one of the first women to work for Walt Disney studios; Oct. 10
You need to understand the real causes of the disaster ... In this sense, Chernobyl has not taught anything to anyone."
Viktor Bryukhanov, 85, head of the Chernobyl power plant who was sentenced to ten years at a labour camp for his part in the nuclear disaster; Oct. 13
We were one big melting pot of Black people, and we knew we were doing something special that had never been done before."
Dorothy Steel, 95, who began her acting career at age 88 and appeared in the groundbreaking Marvel blockbuster Black Panther"; Oct. 15
Let others judge me. All I want to do is judge myself as a successful soldier who served his best."
Colin Powell, 84, former U.S. secretary of state whose speech to the United Nations paved the way to the U.S. going to war in Iraq; Oct. 18
I just wanted to work, and I felt that any country that could produce a Stratford had to be the most wonderful place. And I was right."
American-born Stratford Festival mainstay Martha Henry, 83, who gave her last performance in a wheelchair less than two weeks before dying of cancer; Oct. 21
I'm for capital punishment. You've got to execute people - how else are they going to learn?"
Montreal-born U.S. social satirist Mort Sahl, 94, who revolutionized standup comedy during the Cold War; Oct. 26
I know my body. I know for a fact that my body is ready to go. I've reached the end of the line."
Joe Philion, 48, 12 years before dying from injuries sustained during a house fire in the 1980s that left him with burns to 95 per cent of his body; Nov. 7
It was as if I had a conversion and in my heart of hearts realized that apartheid was wrong."
F.W. de Klerk, 85, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela and as South Africa's last apartheid president oversaw the end of the country's white minority rule; Nov. 11
I don't find my life that interesting. The shows, maybe. But not me."
Stephen Sondheim, 91, songwriter who reshaped American musical theatre in the second half of the 20th century; Nov. 26
The display from the employees of Augusta National was especially moving. Most of the staff was Black and ... they left their duties to line the 18th fairway as I walked toward the green. I couldn't hold back the tears."
Golfer Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others; Nov. 28
Losing means that at least you were in the race. It means that when the whistle sounded, life did not find you watching from the sidelines."
Bob Dole, 98, wounded war veteran who became U.S. Senate leader and failed presidential candidate; Dec. 5
I used to be just your typical office grunt, but then I ran into toys, and that changed my outlook on life."
Masayuki Uemura, 78, engineer who developed the Nintendo Entertainment System which launched a home gaming revolution; Dec. 9
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind, do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?'
Five Man Electrical Band lead singer Les Emmerson, 77, writer of the hippie-era anthem Signs"; Dec. 10
It's like catching your grandmother stealing your stereo. You're glad to get your stereo back, but you're sad to find out that Grandma's a thief."
Michael Nesmith, 78, best remembered as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-television rock band The Monkees on winning a royalties lawsuit against PBS; Dec. 10
I could have gotten out earlier; probably would have been better off. Would have avoided a lot of problems that I wouldn't want to discuss. They are best forgotten."
Mel Lastman, 88, the brash, outspoken pitchman-turned-politician whose gaffes and personal scandals didn't diminish a remarkable career as mayor of Canada's largest city; Dec. 11
I want to be loved and never forgotten. I'm really greedy, you know? I want to be immortal."
Gothic novelist Anne Rice, 80, widely known for her bestselling novel Interview with the Vampire"; Dec. 12
I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance."
Groundbreaking author and activist bell hooks, whose writing explored race, gender and politics as one of the most influential feminists of her time; Dec. 15
Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends."
Joan Didion, 87, revered author and essayist from The Year of Magical Thinking," an account of the year following the death of her husband John Gregory Dunne; Dec. 23
SOURCES: The New York Times, Men's Journal, The Guardian, CNN, The Charlotte Observer, The Michigan Chronicle, The Associated Press, People Magazine, As It Happens, CBC, The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Sun, DPA, Casino Journal, The Sunday Telegraph, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic; Royson James, ABC News, Huffington Post, Profil, Canadian Encyclopedia